83-Year-Old Air Force Vet Dies After Being Shoved Onto NYC Subway Tracks In ‘Unprovoked Attack’

Richard Williams, an 83-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, succumbed to his injuries on  he and another man were pushed onto subway tracks in Manhattan.

The incident took place on March 8, at approximately 11:30 a.m. on the southbound platform for the F and Q trains at the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street subway station on the Upper East Side.  According to a report from the New York Post, a man approached two strangers waiting for a train and pushed them onto the tracks in an unprovoked attack.

The first person pushed was a 30-year-old man identified as Jhon Pena. The suspect then pushed Williams, causing both men fell to fall onto the tracks.

Bystanders, including Pena, assisted in pulling Williams back onto the platform moments before an incoming train arrived. Pena sustained non-life-threatening injuries, including to his shoulder and knee, but recovered.

Williams suffered severe head injuries, including bleeding on the brain, and was transported to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where he remained on life support and unresponsive until his death. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Williams was a retired Air Force jet mechanic and pilot who later operated a business producing bulletproof materials. A cancer survivor who had recently completed treatment for prostate cancer, he lived on Roosevelt Island with his wife of 55 years and was known for maintaining an active, independent lifestyle at age 83, frequently traveling into Manhattan for errands by subway.

He was a grandfather and had raised three daughters on Long Island.

The suspect, Bairon Posada-Hernandez, 34, a Honduran national, was arrested on March 10 at approximately 5 a.m. at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. He was taken into custody by New York police and U.S. marshals.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Posada-Hernandez entered the United States illegally in January 2008 and had been deported four times, with the most recent deportation occurring in July 2020.

He had at least 15 prior arrests on charges that included aggravated assault, domestic violence, possession of a weapon, obstruction of police, simple assault, and drug possession. He also had prior convictions in New Jersey and Texas related to illegal re-entry.

Posada-Hernandez was initially charged with attempted murder, assault, attempted assault, and reckless endangerment. Following Williams’ death, prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office upgraded the charges.

He was later indicted on second-degree murder and is scheduled for arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court on March 30.

“Bairon Posada-Hernandez is a serial criminal, and four-time deported illegal alien from Honduras who should never have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans. We are praying for the victims and their families,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said shortly after the incident.

“DHS is calling upon New York sanctuary politicians to commit to this ICE detainer and not release this heinous criminal back into New York communities.”

Cellphone video recorded from the tracks captured portions of the sequence, including the suspect walking along the platform after the pushes.

The second victim, Pena, provided assistance at the scene despite his own injuries. Williams’ family described him as someone who enjoyed city life and routine subway travel.

As of the latest court filings, Posada-Hernandez remains in custody, with an ICE detainer in place. The case continues through the criminal justice process following the victim’s death and the resulting charge elevation.